By Chris Trujillo
Herald Writer
EVERETT—There’s no hiding the enormous chip the Arlington Eagles’ players have worn on their shoulders all season.
After all, as new kids on the Western Conference 4A block, there’s plenty to prove, something they did in grand fashion on Tuesday at Goddard Stadium. Arlington knocked off the Wesco South co-champions, the Mariner Marauders, 14-7, in the first round of the playoffs to earn a state berth.
The Eagles, who lost to Mount Vernon in the first round of the Wesco 3A playoffs last season, defeated a Mariner team that entered the game having won its past eight games.
"This is so special for us because we have had to prove ourselves all season," said Arlington running back Joseph Boitano. "This was such a great team victory. We weren’t even suppose to get this far, at least that’s what everyone has been saying."
A game that was supposed to showcase the Eagles’ high-flying aerial attack and the Marauders’ speedy running game, ultimately came down to a key fourth quarter, goal-line defensive stand.
Trailing 14-7 with less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Marauders took possession at Arlington’s 22-yard line following an Arlington personal foul on a punt. Mariner strayed from its quick, slashing running backs Michael Nelson and Markee Broussard, who had carried the load most of the game, and went to its bulky fullback Steve Jones, who took the Marauders to the Arlington 4-yard line.
That, however, would be the closest the Marauders would get. On fourth-and-short, Jones fought his way for a yard before being smothered by Grady Murphy, Jeremy Newell and company.
The Eagles ran the clock out from there.
"That was such a huge stop," Newell said. "Everyone has been hitting him (Jones) up high, so I went low and just held on. I knew he was coming."
Arlington’s 6-foot-2 quarterback Kevin McCormack mounted the eventual game winning touchdown on the team’s first drive to start the second half.
With the score tied at 7, McCormack completed four consecutive passes for a combined 50 yards. He then connected with Tyler Burt for a 10-yard touchdown pass to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead. Burt went two yards, turned around, and delivered a picture-perfect stiff arm which sprung him loose to score the game-winning touchdown.
"I knew I had to get by him," Burt said. "Coaches have been telling us all season to stick to the fundamentals, and I did with that stiff arm."
McCormack, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, was nearly flawless. On more than a few plays, McCormack eluded the fierce Mariner rush and threw perfect spirals.
The composed McCormack guided the Eagles 75 yards after Mariner took a 7-0 lead early in the second half. Despite being sacked on second down, McCormack brushed off Mariner’s pressure and hit Boitano, who beat his defender and went 10 yards to tie the game at 7.
"That’s what a playoff game looks like," said Arlington coach John Boitano. "We have achieved so much and we’re not even done yet. They were much tougher than we thought. It was a great game."
The Marauders, after giving up the ball on a fumble on their first series, made good on their second possession behind the relentless running from junior Nelson. On fourth-and-short, Nelson bounced off a defender and raced 57 yards for a touchdown.
"We wanted to take away the outside," said McCormack, who also plays linebacker. "They are so fast, so we wanted to keep them inside. And besides that long touchdown run, we did."
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